1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trailer security locks, and in particular to a trailer security lock having a freely pivoting lock ball within a trailer hitch ball receiver with a lock shaft extending up through a hole in the top of the ball receiver into a collar welded to the top of the ball receiver and having a cylinder lock fitting into the collar over the lock shaft to lock the lock ball within the ball receiver to prevent theft by towing the trailer with a conventional towing hitch ball, wherein the cylinder lock and lock ball pivot freely within the ball receiver and collar to prevent drilling or sawing the lock and there is no room between the cylinder lock and collar or between the ball lock and ball receiver to pry them loose and the collar is too thick for cutting.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
It is common for trailers of all types to be stolen by a vehicle with a trailer hitch ball being attached to the trailer hitch ball receiver and the trailer hauled away by the vehicle. This is true of house trailers, boat trailers, vehicle trailers, utility trailers, construction equipment trailers and any type of trailer having a trailer hitch ball receiver. Padlocks on trailer latches are easily cut by bolt cutters. Prior art devices fail to adequately address the problem to provide a trailer hitch ball receiver lock which cannot be easily removed from the trailer hitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,755, issued Jun. 29, 1993 to O'Neal, provides a trailer lock for preventing the use of a conventional trailer tongue hitch on an unattached trailer vehicle. The lock comprises a towing ball securely fastened to a chain which, in a preferred embodiment, is installed in the socket of a trailer tongue to prevent an unattached trailer from being attached to an unauthorized towing vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,832, issued Jul. 17, 1984 to Avrea et al, indicates a pivotally mounted coupling guard, extending over a ball engaging socket of a trailer hitch to preclude disengagement of the socket from the ball, is locked in place to deter unauthorized disengagement of the socket from the ball and theft of the attached trailer. A lock module penetrably receives and locks therein essentially all of the extending ends of both the pivot pin and the retaining pin of the coupling guard to preclude unauthorized pivotal movement of the coupling guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,614, issued Jun. 12, 2001 to Bonvillain, is for a ball fastened to a base plate received within the socket of a trailer hitch, with a box shaped, open ended housing slipped over the exposed end of the tongue, hitch, and plate. The plate has a pierced tang that extends through the closed end of the housing and into a tubular extension projecting from the housing. A purchase item cylindrical, keyed, tumbler operated, lock slips into the bore of the extension and projects a key operated, retractable, transversely movable, shot bolt through the pierced hole of the tang. The lock is protected within the extension, and the apparatus has no parts exposed for tampering.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,686, issued Apr. 20, 2004 to Koy, describes a device for closing the socket of a trailer hitch, generally called a coupler lock, generally comprising a locking bar and a base having a plug member, a locking bar-receiving aperture, and an integral locking means for lockingly engaging the locking bar within aperture. When the coupler lock is attached to a trailer coupler, the trailer hitch socket is not accessible without removing the coupler lock with the appropriate key. Thus, theft of an unattended trailer is deterred due to the difficulty in attempting to remove the locking device. Providing a coupler lock having an integral locking mechanism better deters the tampering with or removal of the locking mechanism to remove the coupler lock from the trailer hitch as is possible in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,961, issued Aug. 18, 1998 to Niswanger, shows an anti-theft device that can be used on different size trailer tongues of the type having a socket for receiving a tow ball of a trailer hitch. The device includes a base and a socket insert that projects from the base and is received within the socket of the trailer tongue. A pair of side members are joined to the base and oriented so that the trailer tongue must be passed between the side members for insertion and removal of the socket insert from the trailer tongue socket. Each side member has first and second holes formed therein. A retaining rod inserts into either of the first and second holes of the side members so that the retaining rod extends between the side members and above the trailer tongue to prevent the passage of the trailer tongue between the side members and thus prevent removal of the socket insert from the trailer tongue socket. The first and second holes are each located at different positions to accommodate trailer tongues of different sizes. A locking device is provided for preventing removal of the retaining rod from either of the first and second holes of the side members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,172, issued Jul. 12, 1988 to Weaver, describes an anti-theft device for use with boat trailers or other trailers having a tongue with a ball socket thereon for engagement with a hitch ball connected to a towing vehicle. The lock includes a hitch ball mounted on top of a vertically adjustable support stand with the ball being received in the ball socket on the trailer tongue. The support stand includes a pivotal lock member which includes a portion closely overlying the upper surface of the ball socket with a padlock assembly securing the lock member in locking position. A lock guard is provided to protect the padlock assembly by preventing easy access to the padlock assembly by bolt cutters or other similar cutting implements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,055, issued May 20, 1975 to Vuillemot, claims a theft deterrent trailer hitch lock device to lockably obstruct the socket portion of a trailer hitch, the device having an elongated plate which closes at least a portion of the opening into the socket, a plug which is inserted into the trailer hitch socket and a bar which can be positioned over the trailer hitch and locked in place so that the socket portion of the trailer hitch is contained between the bar and the elongated plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,071, issued Nov. 11, 2003 to Gilbertson, shows a trailer hitch locking system for securing a trailer while hitched to a vehicle or protecting the trailer from theft while unhitched. The locking system includes a hitch lock, a ball lock, and a receiver pin lock.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,964, issued Feb. 25, 1986 to Bratzier, discloses a locking assembly to prevent unauthorized access to a trailer hitch which includes a metallic casing which is slideably placed over and around the socket end portion of the hitch and which cooperatively receives a locking bar having a first extended portion which is receivable within the hitch socket and a second extended portion which is selectively secured to the interior of the metallic casing to thereby lock the assembly in fixed position with respect to the trailer hitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,271, issued Feb. 29, 1993 to Smith, puts forth a locking device for a trailer and hitch of the ball and socket type, comprising an upper jaw and a lower jaw interconnected together by a shaft for reciprocal movement relative to each other. A locking mechanism keeps the two jaws apart at fixed distances over a ribbed portion of the shaft. In use, the two jaws are locked about the socket portion of the hitch to prevent unauthorized removal of the trailer. When the trailer is attached to a tow vehicle, the tow ball nut is received in an opening in the lower jaw. When the trailer is unattached, a dummy ball extends into the socket of the hitch. In both position, the socket portion of the hitch is received in an aperture in the upper jaw.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,349, issued Oct. 16, 1951 to Eckles, illustrates a trailer hitch lock for covering the ball receiver of a trailer using a hinged clamp and padlock means with a cylindrical element inserted into the ball receiver.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,569, issued Jun. 18, 2002 to Kite, provides a theft prevention lock for trailers with socket-type hitches having a first plate element having a base portion and inner and outer ends. An upwardly extending arcuate protrusion is formed on the inner end of the first plate to penetrate the socket of a trailer hitch through an open bottom of the socket. An upwardly extending ear is on the outer end of the base portion and has a aperture therein. A second plate element has a lower end and an upper portion curving upwardly and terminating in a hook element with a lower arcuate portion complimentary in shape to the arcuate portion formed on the inner end of the first plate element. An aperture is in the second plate registering with the aperture in the ear of the first plate. The first and second plates are pivotally connected together. The shape of the first and second plates is such that when the apertures in the plate elements are in a registered position, a slot exists between the lower edge surface of the hook element and the outer edge surface of the arcuate protrusion on the inner end of the first plate. A U-shaped lock bar of a padlock is adapted to extend through the registered apertures in the first and second plates to receive a wall portion of a socket-type hitch.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,337, issued Feb. 1, 2000 to Brown, claims a Lockable Stand for Trailers comprising an upwardly-extending pedestal assembly terminating in a head assembly that is configured to lockably attach to a trailer tongue. The preferred head assembly will further include a detachable ball for accepting the trailer tongue and a pair of vertical side brackets through which a removable tongue lock extends to prevent the tongue from being removed from the ball. The stand is very compact for convenience, while also being stable to prevent trailer roll-away. In another preferred form, the pedestal assembly is height-adjustable to accommodate a variety of trailer styles and designs. The pedestal assembly might also be made from two telescoping pieces that can further be disassembled for storage or transport.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,423, issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Almquist et al, discloses a security device (10) for a trailer having a body member (12) with an auger (30) projecting from the body member (12). The auger (30) rotatably anchors the body member (12) to the ground. A plug (40) projects from the body member (12) for insertion into a socket portion (62) of the trailer. A bail (46) surrounds a portion of the socket portion (62) and locks to the body member (12) such that movement of the body member (12) relative to the socket portion (62) is restrained.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,468, issued Jul. 19, 1985 to Dixon, indicates an apparatus to preclude the theft or unauthorized use of a trailer comprising a cylindrical member formed of a rigid material positionable in a vertical orientation, the cylindrical member having a cylindrical side wall, a closed top in a generally spherical configuration and an open bottom, the cylindrical member having an upper extent positionable in the downwardly facing recess with the lower extent of the cylindrical member located therebeneath; a cross bar positionable in a horizontal orientation extending diametrically through the side wall of the cylindrical member with its lower edge located co-planar with the lower edge of the open end of the cylindrical member and an upper edge, an aperture extending through each end of the cross member at a location radially remote from the axis of the cylindrical member and the side wall of the cylindrical member; and a pair of rigid arms, each arm having a lower aperture at its lower end, the aperture of each arm positionable in axial alignment with an associated aperture of the cross member, upper apertures in the arms at the upper extents thereof positionable in axial alignment above the central axis of the cylindrical member, each of the arms being formed with a bend whereby the arms may extend upwardly then angled inwardly when the apertures at the upper ends of the arm are in axial alignment.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,204,508, issued Apr. 17, 2007 to Hsai, discloses a trailer lock for locking a trailer ball cap including a lock housing, a lock, a latch bolt, a holding seat and a detent member. The lock housing has an opening to hold the lock, a U-shaped trough to hold the latch bolt, a through trough to hold the holding seat and allow the detent member to slide on the holding seat. The lock has a housing chamber on one side to couple with the trailer ball cap. The latch bolt can control movement of the detent member by turning of the lock so that the detent member is wedged in a latch trough on one end of the latch bolt, and a latch end of the latch bolt is extended and anchored in the housing chamber of the lock housing and locked on the trailer ball cap. When the trailer is separated from a vehicle, the trailer ball cannot be coupled thereby to provide theft-proof function.
What is needed is a trailer hitch ball receiver lock which prevents attachment of the trailer hitch ball receiver to a vehicle having a trailer hitch ball and which cannot be easily removed from the trailer hitch ball receiver.